Coronavirus, Sad Times

A dear neighbor was buried today. Because of the coronavirus crisis, there was no “normal” funeral. It was hard for the family—which is very large, with several children and grandchildren—to choose a total of 10 people who could attend the funeral.
That makes me sad, and I hope this difficult time will come to an end someday.

Oh Petra, I’m so sorry to hear that.

Yes, it’s really hard right now. We’re not allowed to hug each other, and that’s especially hard when we’re grieving.

Hugs.

Sandra

Dear Petra, my heart goes out to you. Yes, these times are very hard for everyone. Hopefully this madness will end soon. A big hug to you!

Dear Petra, that’s very sad. Not being able to say goodbye to a loved one.
Especially for the family. In situations like this, the family is often the only source of comfort and support.

I pray that this difficult time will soon be over.

As understandable as the measures are right now, they make these difficult times even harder to get through...

I, too, hope the situation improves soon.

My heart goes out to you.

That’s very sad; my condolences to you and the family...

Sometimes the whole situation scares me a little. I’m trying to keep a cool head, because all we can do is follow the rules. My work as a designer is continuing as usual, so I “just” have to get used to social distancing.
I also hope that we’ll be able to return to normal soon... 

Dear Petra,

That’s terrible. Especially for the family...
It’s unimaginably awful when you can’t even say goodbye properly.

To be honest, the situation really fills me with fear... I’m worried about my father, who has diabetes and heart disease... For my stepmother, who’s also battling many illnesses… (and who has to work every day as a saleswoman)… For my stepfather, who currently has cancer… For my grandma and grandpa, who are both getting on in years and have underlying health conditions…
And, of course, for everyone who isn’t in a high-risk group… But who could suffer if they have to go to the hospital and the system is overwhelmed.

For these reasons, we all absolutely must follow the rules we’ve been given… As hard as it may be for many of us.
All the more reason to enjoy what we have once this nightmare is over.

Stay healthy, everyone, and don’t lose your joy and hope. 

Yes, Petra, I can imagine that’s very hard, because in situations like this, you just need people to give you a hug. But I’m sure this situation won’t last much longer. Once we’ve gotten through this, we’ll appreciate the little things in life all the more. I don’t know yet when I’ll see my two granddaughters again either. But I’m already looking forward to that moment when the time comes. In the meantime, I’m just happy to have photos.

Hang in there and look forward to the time when everything is possible again.

I’m sending you all a hug for now—for everyone who really needs it right now (((((

We’re burying our dad on Friday. Only 5 people are allowed to attend. Last week, the limit was still 20 people. This is absolutely heartbreaking for Mom.

I promised her that we’ll make up for it as soon as the crisis is over—we’ll say goodbye together with all our friends and invite the eulogist back as well. 

Ooh Diana,
I’m so sorry. I wish you all a lot of strength to get through this, especially for your mom.
The idea of making up for it later is a good one. When things get better, you’ll all come together and say goodbye to Dad again, all together and close to one another.

I’d also like to thank everyone here again for leaving such kind words. Without the stress and the other comments that are currently circulating online.

Stay healthy.

I wish you both lots of strength to get through this difficult time, which is already taking a heavy toll on all of us, even without a bereavement.
Losing a loved one is terrible enough, but not being able to say a proper goodbye is heartbreaking.

I’d like to send you a hug, too.

Take care of yourselves and stay healthy!

Dear Diana

I wish you and your mom lots of strength during this very difficult time. All that remains right now is silent sympathy and loving, comforting thoughts, along with a virtual hug.

Take care of yourselves and stay healthy.

Hello Diana, I’m also sending you a hug and lots of strength. 

Your promise to your mom that you’ll make this up later is a really lovely idea. 

Warm regards 

Sandra 

Dear Diana, please know that I’m sending you a big hug from the bottom of my heart. ((( ))) My heart goes out to you all...

Yesterday, a friend of ours passed away—he was the same age as my husband. That makes us very, very sad, too. Especially because we can’t hug his wife and be there for her in person. She lives about 25 km away. He died after a brief illness—NOT from the virus. It happened very suddenly. Since he will most likely be cremated, the funeral service can certainly be postponed. 

What really struck us yesterday, when we found out, was how grateful we are that we’re alive and have each other right now. It’s such a precious thing not to be alone.

I’m also very grateful that we have each other here now… that you—and we—are here.

Warm regards, Monika

Thank you all so much for your sympathy. ❤️❤️❤️

Dear Diana,
I’ve just read the sad news. My sincere condolences. I’m so sorry for you and your mom.
In any case, I think it’s a great idea to make up for it once things have settled down.
Then I wish you lots and lots of strength for tomorrow. We are all thinking of you.
I’m sending you a big hug from afar.

These are truly terrible stories that really tug at my heartstrings... especially because hugs really help in situations like this. I’m sending you all lots of strength right now.

My sincere condolences to you all. This is truly heartbreaking. At a time when people need support and a hug…

My own problem seems almost ridiculous in comparison. My daughter (now 11) had her birthday yesterday. We’d planned a big party and had everything organized. You can imagine how she felt when first the venue canceled, then the guests started canceling one by one, and we finally had to postpone the whole thing indefinitely. For her, her world has fallen apart. And yes—before anyone starts saying, “But at 11, you’re supposed to understand that!”—yes. She did understand. Still, she’s incredibly sad :(

@streifgetier
Oh, I can really relate to how your daughter feels. All the kids are sad right now that they can’t see their friends. My granddaughter just turned 4, and no one was allowed to visit her. The party was also canceled or postponed. It’s the first birthday she’s been fully aware of. At 11 years old, it’s even harder when you can’t celebrate this special day with friends and family.

In moments like these, I tell myself that I can be grateful that we’re all healthy and have a nice home. I’m even more aware of that right now than usual. And when I look at my parents’ lives, this really isn’t anything at all. After all, they lived through two wars. 

Yes, Monika, that’s true! When my mother talked about the war… She lost my brother (who was 6 months old at the time) during a bombing raid. My father was a prisoner of war, and she often didn’t know for months where he was or whether he was still alive. Even when a letter arrived, she couldn’t be sure, because it was already weeks old...
At least we have the phone, the internet, Skype, and WhatsApp. Let’s try to be grateful for what we have. And maybe we can carry that gratitude with us into the time after the crisis.

Ruth, I think that after going through this, we’re now even more grateful for everything we’ll be allowed to do again and for what we have. Because, unfortunately, you only realize that when things aren’t that way.

Yes, our grandmothers were very often single mothers, and usually with many children. They didn’t have a washing machine, a dishwasher, or a refrigerator; no TV (for distraction); no phone, etc. And yet they always managed, despite worrying about their husbands who were at war. I have the utmost respect for that! They were truly strong women! When I think about it, I can’t help but feel deeply grateful for all the comforts we have. So we can easily manage to stay home for a while. As long as we have enough wool, we can count ourselves lucky.